Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott

Is it so wrong to laugh when you think about faith? Or to consider that God's standards of loving you are incredibly low (mostly it's about showing up and trying)? Or realizing that you aren't the only person who thinks this way? I found this book at Burke's Bookstore last Saturday afternoon, tucked away in a corner of the theology section waiting for me. It got me through my paper writing, exam grading week and a half with some light-hearted humor, introspective prodding, and the reminder that this too shall pass.

If you have never read any of Anne Lamott's more spiritual work, I highly recommend it. Start with Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith; Plan B is its sequel. If you have book borrowing privileges with me (which is pretty much everyone; I fear I may be too trusting with my books), feel free to ask for a loan.

I took this photo with my new Diana lomo lens. The plastic lens distorts the light and makes colors more vibrant. Like Lamott, I find the outdoors to be one of the easiest places to have a conversation with God.

Song of Songs

The night before John and Amanda's wedding, I was hanging out with the bridesmaids at the apartment. We got to talking about the readings for the wedding and how one of the options was from Song of Songs. One of the people who had read it laughed a little and mentioned how that would have been an interesting choice. Post-discussion, I figured I should read it. It was my first foray into Biblical poetry and might I just say, "Wow."

Essence of World Religions: Unity in Diversity by Pravin K. Shah

This book is another one that I started reading years ago and just now finished (for the same, pre-sleep reasons). I bought it from a Jainist at the Ghandi-King Conference my freshman year at CBU. I think by this point I have probably read all of it twice since I skipped around, but I finally finished the book from cover to cover. It is intended as a brief overview of major world religions and includes a nifty comparison chapter on Eastern and Western religions. My favorite part was a reading a Jainist's interpretation of Christianity. Sometimes you learn the most about yourself by looking through someone else's eyes.

I also feel like I should mention that I finished reading this book at the end of September. I just never got around to taking a picture for it.

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

Lewis amazes me. None of his books are the same, and each one seems to address a topic specific to my spirtual needs at the moment I read it. Thanks to Chase for the loan from his C.S. Lewis box set.

"If we insist on keeping Hell (or even earth) we shall not see Heaven: if we accept Heaven then we shall not be able to retain even the smallest and most intimate souvenirs of Hell."

Back to the Sources: Reading the Classic Jewish Texts by Barry Holtz

Certainly not a light read by any stretch of the imagination. The chapter on Talmud almost did me in. I got through all of it except for the chapters on Kabbalah and Hasidic writings though. I consider my worldview broadened in the best possible way.

Book of Ruth

Right after I read Esther, I thought I would reread Ruth since it is only a few pages long. So much love there.

Book of Esther

We were talking about the Hebrew Bible in my Judaism class, and Dr. Dault challenged us to read a book in the Bible while keeping in mind everything we were talking/reading about in class. I decided to take him up on that challenge and reread Esther. I forgot how much of a bad ass she was. My reading happily coincided with Purim. Purim Sameah!

Siddhartha by Herman Hesse

I'll admit that I didn't chose to read this book for the best reasons. I found it on Ryan's bookshelf and decided to read it because I had seen it on several of my friends' shelves. The copy also had a header that declared it a literary classic, which is usually a major selling point for me. By the time I realized I really wasn't enjoying the reading experience, I was halfway through the book and figured I might as well finish. I did find Siddhartha's understanding that knowledge and learning are not the way to enlightenment thought-provoking. Overall though, I'd rather read about Hindu gods and mythology than an imagined journey to Nirvana. I attempted to use a makeshift bokeh filter to simulate coming to enlightenment.

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

I am aware that Screwtape says that the devil is NOT a little man sitting on your shoulder whispering in your ear, but eh. Lewis definitely hit a few sensitive areas with this one, especially when he wrote, "The man who truly and disinterestedly enjoys any one thing in the world, for its own sake, and without caring two-pence what other people say about it, is by that very fact forearmed against some of our subtlest modes of attack. You should always try to make the patient abandon the people or food or books he really likes in favour of the 'best' people, the 'right' food, the 'important' books."